News

On 31 May 2015 the SEAP_Alps project will be finalized, and the partnership looks back to numerous fruitful results and good cooperation. The objective of the project was to promote energy planning at local level, boosting the capacity of project partners in supporting small and medium municipalities in the drafting of Sustainable Energy Action Plans (SEAPs).

Signatories of the Covenant of Mayors voluntarily commit to increasing energy efficiency and the use of sustainable energy sources in their municipality. More than 6000 local authorities are part of the European initiative. They do not only use the political signal strength at the European level, but also instruments free of charge to achieve their ambitious climate objectives.

Energy efficiency of public buildings contributes to the reduction of CO2 emissions and is one the measures in the preparation of Sustainable Energy Action Plans (SEAP). In the framework of the project SEAP Alps the measures will be achieved together with local authorities, stakeholders and energy agencies. By 2020 municipalities will provide an enormous contribution to the reduction of CO2.

The international congress “Smart(e) Urban Mobility” which will take place on 16./17 September 2015 in Klagenfurt on Lake Wörthersee will give an update on e-mobility in Europe by providing best practice examples from cities and regions, brandnew studies, a life cycle analysis based on key data as well technical and marketing know how.

Being the second most important region in France in terms of attendance and the prime destination for the mountains or the countryside, tourism related economic questions are an important issue for the municipalities of CoPLER. A significant climate change could have a large impact on the sector, with an effect on the choice of destination and on attendance.

SEAP_Alps has introduced an innovative approach to the field of local energy planning in the Alpine area that takes into account both mitigation and adaptation to climate change. As this kind of integrated approach is not yet widely used in energy planning at a municipal level, there is a lack of knowledge that has to be taken into account. Considering this situation an online-based SEAP_Alps Training Platform has been created.

The Municipality of Orbassano started its energy planning process in 2013 by joining the Covenant of Mayors and the SEAP_Alps project. The job has been focused on drafting a Sustainable Energy Action Plan, by analyzing the energy and emissions balances for the whole territory and identifying the best solutions for achieving or even exceeding a 20% reduction of greenhouse gases by 2020.

In the frame of the project SEAP_Alps, an online Action Tool has been developed which provides valuable assistance to municipalities and working groups in finding out which sustainable energy projects can be considered for the action plan. Within each area of intervention a variety of possible actions are displayed, complemented by examples which are provided in project sheets. These project sheets can be selected and downloaded as word files for further modification.

ADDRESSING CLIMATE CHANGE IN ALPINE SPACE MUNICIPALITIE, -

will be the motto of the SEAP_Alps final conference which will take place on Monday, 23 March 2015 at the Bavarian Ministry of Environment and Consumer Protection, Munich, Germany, Rosenkavalierplatz 2.

Germany’s town with the highest elevation, Wertach, celebrated the finalization of its energy concept after a year of intense work and discussion. In the end, it’s the result of numerous meetings of the local energy working group and the Energy and Environmental centre Allgäu, eza!, who coordinated the local activities in the frame of the Alpine Space project SEAP_Alps.

The SEAP document is extremely important for the local community in a rural area, where activities focus on a sustainable and energy efficient way. Coordinated by RA Sinergija, three Slovenian pilot municipalities are participating in the project: municipalities of Puconci,Turnišče and Kuzma. They have set up working groups to help in the preparation of the SEAP document.

Within the SEAP_Alps project a methodology to plan the investments for the renovation of public buildings has been developed (APPI). The aims of this work was to test, at local level, the 2012/27/EU Directive, which is imposing for the central government buildings, the refurbishment of at least the 3% of the total floor area each year, from the 2014.

SEAP_Alps was partner in a citizens’ workshop in pilot municipality Geretsried which was held on November 15, 2014. The entire day was about the further development of the town and was attended by more than 70 people. While the morning session was focusing on social and environmental topics the afternoon was dedicated to climate protection measures and adaptation to climate change.

In Rhône-Alpes, the SEAP_Alps project is now moving into its implementation phase, in other words in its drafting process and the implementation of actions. This phase requires a great deal of adjustments and implies the building of a rigorous and flexible framework to support, monitor and evaluate the development of energy and climate actions.

SEAP_Alps attended the C3-Alps final conference which was held on October 14, 2014 in the City Hall of Vienna. C3-Alps is one of more than 60 projects within the European Alpine Space Programme and the title of the conference was: “From knowledge to action – Alpine Regions adapting to climate change”.

Save the date: Fom April 22-24, 2015, Climate Alliance will hold its International Annual Conference in the city of Dresden, Germany. One of the highlights will be a forum with the title: “Integration of Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate Change” with project representatives of SEAP_Alps, REGKLAM Dresden and the Mayor Adapt Initiative. The forum will take place on April 23.

The Province of Turin represented SEAP_Alps project during the first training session of “MAYORS IN ACTION“ project that took place in Genoa last March 26. It has been an opportunity to present the project activities at over 20 Coordinators and Supporters of the Covenant of Mayors. In the magnificent location of the Hall of the Council of the Province of Genoa, partners met for the first time for an exchange of experiences, methodologies and ideas.

The Province of Turin, as local coordinator of the Covenant of Mayors is collaborating with municipalities that have joined in with the SEAP_Alps project to draft their SEAP, integrating aspects related to mitigation and adaptation to climate change. During the first quarter of 2014 the first “Sustainable Energy Action Plans” using the SEAP_Alps methodology were completed.

The SEAP_Alps Action Tool for municipalities is now available. Another milestone within the SEAP-Alps project has been reached. A wide variety of project sheets is ready for downloading as MS-word files. These sheets contain a brief description of the project, some basic information such as duration, investment and energy or CO2 saving potential and most important – they include links to reference municipalities or agencies who already implemented this project.

Discover all six video sequences and their additional web contents produced by the French SEAP_Alps partner AGEDEN. The main sequence features citizens of the French SEAP_Alps pilot municipality Marignier. They tell us about how they deal with energy efficiency, energy savings and renewables.

In early 2014, the municipality of Marignier began working on the issues of vulnerability of the territory regarding the effects of climate change. In February, the first workshop was an opportunity to gather together several local key players on the topic of climate, energy and socio-economic issues for the community.

On 19.4.2014 the Council of Municipality of Kranj approved the submitted Sustainable Enery Action Plan (SEAP). In the SEAP different actions are presented which envisage at least 21% or 19,878 tCO2 reduction of CO2 emission by 2020. Finally, the SEAP was submitted to the Covenant of Mayors Office for review and approval.

Mayors Adapt, the Covenant of Mayors Initiative on Adaptation to Climate Change, has been set up in March 2014 to engage municipalities on climate change adaptation and to support them in taking action. First cities like Bologna in Italy or the City of Worms in Germany have already signed the commitment.

„Climate change – worldwide and on a regional scale” – this was the title of the SEAP_Alps kick-off event in Weyarn last January that was organized by the municipality and SEAP_Alps partner Civic Foundation Energiewende Oberland (EWO).

The French State, the Rhône-Alpes Region and the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME) set up an observatory to measure the effects of climate change in Rhône-Alpes Region and facilitate the adaptation approach of local authorities.

For more than 20 years, municipalities across Europe have been spending time on climate change mitigation actions, committing themselves to voluntary greenhouse gas emission targets and setting up action programmes to combat climate change. Local Authorities play a key role in the mitigation process, but mitigation is not sufficient anymore since climate change is already taking place. The world's climate system has such long response times that experts agree that climate change can no longer be halted completely.

Sestriere, at 2035 meters above the sea level, is the highest municipality in Italy. Known mainly for its winter tourism on the ski area called "Via Lattea", Sestriere started, few years ago, a route on energy and environmental sustainability, combining the protection of the territory to the support of the local economy.

The Province of Torino represented SEAP_Alps project during two important conferences that took place in Torino and Freiburg. In both events hundreds of people have been introduced to the project objectives and actions.

While we are facing the ever worsening effects of climate change, the negotiations for climate change mitigation at an international level are carried out too slowly. However, more and more international initiatives are being developed and an increasing number of independent countries have begun to focus on sustainable development. Slovenia has the ideal conditions to join to the most advanced countries of the world.

In the Biofuture house in Martjanci, the mayors of the region's three municipalities Kuzma, Puconci and Turnišče signed the Covenant of Mayors. Pomurje joined the Covenant as eighth municipality and this was also where Beltinci, Ljutomer, Cankova and Lendava and later on the municipality Moravske Toplice signed the Covenant thus raising the number of Slovenian members to 18.

Within the context of the SEAP_Alps Alpine Space Project, in eastern Styria the following regions have declared themselves ready to participate in the project and to draw up a regional energy action plan. The basic idea underlying such links between local authorities and a region is to reach energy sustainability focusing on the ENERGY and BUILDING sectors. The aim is not only to cover regional energy needs, but to support the entire region in becoming an energy plus region.

During the Warsaw UN Climate Change Conference (COP 19) the SEAP_Alps Methodology was presented in the workshop “Mechanisms supporting the monitoring of Sustainable Energy Action Plans (SEAPs)”. The session on 15 November 2013 in the EU Pavilion in the National Stadium showcased examples on methods and tools for developing and monitoring SEAPs and Climate Plans as well as the support that they could bring for the municipal level. Photo (right to left): Fritz Pielenz (City of Dresden), Dr. Andreas Kress, Ana Rita Neves and Miguel Morcillo (all Climate Alliance)

On Nov. 28./29. SEAP_Alps project partners met at the headquarters of Rhônealpénergie-Environnement (RAEE) in Lyon. There, the Training Platform and the Action Tool for the SEAP_Alps Methodology were presented and discussed. Other important issue were the upcoming local events and the implementation of SEAPs in pilot cities and pilot regions.

Geretsried will be the first pilot community of SEAP_Alps in the Bavarian Oberland, Germany. The decision was taken during the meeting of the city's building and environment committee on July 16, 2013 after a presentation of the project by Ellen Esser, SEAP_Alps project coordinator of Energiewende Oberland (EWO). “We can only profit from this cooperation“, was the opinion of Mayor Cornelia Irmer and the members of the town council.

Important milestones have been reached in the project SEAP_Alps. During the second project meeting in Moravske Toplice, Slovenia, on June 20/21, 2013 which was hosted by RA Sinergija, project partners discussed the new online “action tool”, the training platform for the implementation of Sustainable Energy Action Plans (SEAPs) as well as innovative private-public financial schemes for sustainable retrofitting of public buildings.

Catherine Premat of Rhônalpénergie-Environnement (RAEE) presented the SEAP_Alps project during the general assembly of the European Association of Elected representatives from Mountain Regions (Aem) in Le Grand Bornand (Haute-Savoie). The meeting was held on June 14, 2013. Faced to various elected representatives, RAEE detailed the objectives of the project and the main issues of climate changes especially for mountain areas.

The Slovenian legislation gives rise to local energy concept based on energy laws. This is an important tool in planning strategy of municipal energy policy and is also aimed at increasing awareness and informing energy consumers. Included is an analysis of existing situation of energy use and energy supply.

Five countries participate in this European project: Austria, France, Germany, Italy and Slovenia. The objective of the SEAP_Alps project is to support a minimum of 35 local authorities to implement an Energy and Climate Action Plan integrating adaptation and mitigation. At least 10 of the local authorities involved must have a major role in tourism and at least 5 out of 35 will be local authorities with SEAPs to review.

The Allgäu town Sonthofen will be one of the first cities to participate in the project SEAP_Alps. Sonthofen is surrounded by the Allgäu Alps and lies in a valley between the rivers Iller and Ostrach at 750-1100 m above sea level. It is one of the most important tourist towns in the Allgäu with 21000 inhabitants and 4.000 beds for guests.

On May 15 and 16, 2013 SEAP_Alps representative Leonie Wiesiollek of EZA participated in a meeting in Brussels, where two EU programmes gathered their strengths to discuss the acceleration of change at local level for effective delivery of sustainable energy solutions.

The SEAP_Alps project joined the first Italian meeting of the territorial coordinator of the Covenant of Mayors organised by the Abruzzo Region in collaboration with the Covenant of Mayor Office on the 7th of May 2013 in the City of Pescara.

During the SEAP_Alps Workshop at the Centre of Energy and Environment Allgäu (eza!) in Kempten on January 24 and 25, 2013 project partners from five Alpine countries had extensive discussions on „Sustainable Energy Action Plans” and on “Adaptation to Climate Change” issues.

Project Partners will meet for a workshop in Kempten on 24./25. January 2013 at eza!. Existing Sustainable Energy Action Plans will be evalutated and important potentials will be defined. A special focus will be on the adaptation aspect of climate protection. This issue is of greatest importance since climate change is already taking place and mitigation activities will not be sufficient to address the problem.

On Nov. 20 and 21, 2012 SEAP_Alps partners met at the Province of Turino Building in Turin, Italy for the kick-off meeting. The event was hosted by the Lead Partner, the Province of Turin. A stakeholder event was held on Nov. 20, which was highlighted by a live video conference with the representative of the Covenant of Mayor Office, Mr. Adam Szolyak.